Relay For Life Growing Strong

50 People Meet To Help Organize 10th Annual Cancer Fundraiser

February 21, 2006|By MARK SPENCER; Courant Staff Writer

SIMSBURY — The 10th anniversary of the Relay for Life of Simsbury in May seems as if it's a long way off to some people, but organizers say what happens in the coming weeks will determine if it's a success.

Organizers are urging those who have participated in the past to return for the 10th anniversary of the event, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society that is part pep rally, part memorial.

Avon resident Jan Smith, who was chairwoman of the first Relay for Life in Simsbury, has returned to co-chair this year's event with her daughter, Heather Smith, of West Hartford.

Jan Smith recruited another former organizer, Moraith MacRae Driscoll, of Avon, to get involved. More than 50 people attended a kick-off meeting last week at the Simsbury Inn.

``There are people literally coming out of the woodwork,'' Driscoll said.

Teams now being organized raise money from family, friends and businesses in exchange for a pledge to keep at least one team member walking or running on a track at Henry James Middle School on May 20 and 21.

The first year that the relay was held in Simsbury, 10 teams raised $22,500. Last year 60 teams from Avon, Canton, Granby and Simsbury raised $104,501.

The event is particularly poignant because many participants are either cancer survivors or had family members or friends who were diagnosed with the disease.

Driscoll said most of the event has a festive feel, with teams pitching tents in the middle of a track marked with cones and sharing food and conversation.

Lynn Veith of Simsbury, has been a cancer survivor since 1979 and started volunteering as a relay team captain in 1999. She now is in charge of the luminaria.

People purchase the luminaria -- paper bags filled with sand and a candle -- in honor of someone they lost to cancer or a survivor. The ceremony in which the candles are lit as the names of those honored are displayed is one of the most moving parts of the relay weekend, Veith said.

``It's a way to celebrate someone's life and remember them in the most positive way possible,'' Veith said.

Organizers are seeking volunteers for the planning committee, as well as teams for the relay. Volunteers can contact Diana Martucci of the American Cancer Society at 203-379-4881 or visit www.acsevents.org/relay/CTSimsbury.